1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a utility vehicle in which a cargo bed can be expanded forward so as to utilize an area or a capacity of a cargo bed space and a riding space to a maximum extent according to needs of a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
The present applicant filed applications of inventions relating to a utility vehicle having a cargo bed in which an area or a capacity can be expanded, and those applications have already been registered. For example, the inventions include U.S. Pat. No. 6,905,159, U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,388, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,249,798.
In utility vehicles shown in the above documents, a front seat and a rear seat are arranged in a riding space covered by a ROPS (Roll Over Protection Structure), and a cargo bed is arranged behind the rear seat. By changing the rear seat from a use state to a stowed state, a front part of the cargo bed can be expanded into the riding space which is occupied by the rear seat in the use state.
In the above utility vehicles, a screen is provided in a front end of the cargo bed so that a cargo loaded on the cargo bed is not moved into the riding space on the front side of the cargo bed. There is a need for changing a position of this screen between a two-seater specification in which the cargo bed is expanded forward and a four-seater specification in which the cargo bed is not expanded.
FIG. 19 shows one example of an expandable cargo bed shown in the above documents. A cargo bed 400 is provided with a fixed bottom plate 401, left and right fixed side walls 402, a pair of left and right expansion side walls 404 supported pivotably on hinge shafts 403 which are provided in front ends of the fixed side walls 402, an expansion bottom plate 405 provided in a front end of the fixed bottom plate 401, and a front wall 406. A screen 407 is integrated with the front wall 406.
Positioning and fixing pins 410 protruding downward are provided in both left and right ends of the screen 407. Pin insertion holes 411, 412 into which the pins 410 of the screen 407 are insertable are respectively formed on upper surfaces of tip ends of the expansion side walls 404 and on upper surfaces of the front ends of the fixed side walls 402.
As shown by solid lines in FIG. 19, when the expansion side walls 404 are closed (in the four-seater specification), the screen 407 is placed in the front ends of both the fixed side walls 402, and the pins 410 of the screen 407 are inserted into the pin insertion holes 412 of the fixed side walls 402 from the upper side. Meanwhile, as shown by imaginary lines, when the expansion side walls 404 are opened forward (at the time of two-seater specification), the screen 407 is placed in front ends of both the expansion side walls 404, and the pins 410 of the screen 407 are inserted into the pin insertion holes 411 of the expansion side walls 404 from the upper side.
With the above configuration, in a case where the screen 407 is moved between an expansion position at the time of expansion of the cargo bed 400 and a non-expansion position at the time of non-expansion of the cargo bed 400, firstly, the screen 407 has to be brought up together with the front wall 406 in order to take out the left and right pins 410 from the pin insertion holes 411 or 412. Then, there is a need for integrally moving the screen 407 and the front wall 406 rearward or forward, and after moving, inserting the pins 410 into the pin insertion holes 412 or 411 from the upper side.
However, the screen 407 integrally having the front wall 406 is heavy and width of the screen 407 ranges over the substantially entire lateral width of the cargo bed 400. Thus, moving the screen 407 by one person is highly troublesome and difficult. Therefore, currently, there is a need for two operators to hold and bring up left and right ends of the screen 407 and the front wall 406 so as to take out the pins 410, and after moving, insert the pins into the pin insertion holes 411 or 412 again. Thus, movement of the screen 407 is troublesome.